Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

[ExtremeGamer]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

I'm going to go with stand alone. I don't want HD-DVD over component and the A20 or XA2 upconvert as good or better than the Oppo DVD players (the XA2 has the Silicon Optix processing which is tops). That way I can Ebay the Oppo, use HDMI for Blu-ray (via PS3) and HD-DVD, and keep my 360 on component which is fine...especially with the console track record!

Plus I already have '300' on the "inferior" Blu-ray. Sorry, HD-DVD fanboys!

True, if you are going to use it to upconvert, you are better off with the stand alone. I use my PS3 for my DVD's upconverting, it does a simply amazing job.

[Skerik]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

This post on HighDefDigest pretty much sums it up.

Wow, this is extremely disappointing. I always wanted one single format to win whether it be Blu-ray, or HD DVD. Now this just takes us one step close to be stuck with expensive dual-format players, possible ridiculous Total HD discs, and pushes HD back once again further from the standard.

Or this one....

Really sad that Paramount is selling out like this, as they are now totally anti-consumer and more falling into aiding and abetting the exact goal that Microsoft wants to achieve--stifling the optical disc market for Microsoft's own gain. Screw the consumer, let's make Microsoft potentially richer.

Nice. Great news finally for you HD DVD folk, but in the bigger picture of things, we all as consumers have lost on this day--we were one step from a unified format, and now we've taken a step backwards...not a good day for the HD market whatsoever.

[videobastard]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Wow that is big news for HD DVD with paramount and dreamworks going exclusive. I bet warner will be next.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

MAJOR BREAKING NEWS!!!!

Paramout/Dreamworks drops Blu-ray! Holy ****! Paramount is now exclusively HD-DVD.

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...xclusively/873

[Kashanova]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

i prefer HD DVD so of course this is great news

[thelwig14]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Wow. Huge news. Seems odd that they would go exclusive for a "dead format" that is "bleeding to death" huh?



Yum. Transformers in HD. I think I just wet myself.

We'll see who ends up winning...

[The Chef]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

So am I to assume that Blades of Glory will be still coming out on BR though? I own both formats so its not a big deal but with this movie slated to come out in less then 2 weeks, and me being unsure how far in advance they begin to press the discs themselves, I was curious.

EDIT- I have to agree that this move will certainly help HD-DVD considering I always thought they would struggle without more studio support, but at the same time I can also see where people would think that it would drag this "war" out even longer and I hate the fact that we may end up seeing these paramount movies on combo formats thus forcing us to pay even more for the movie.

[thelwig14]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Is it still over?

Johnny, time to buy that HD-DVD player or add on. Heroes Season 1 next week, and now Paramount

Not a big add-on fan. If I jumped, would be the $400 Toshiba (can't recall the model number) with 1080p. The extra $100 is worth it for the 1080p in my opinion.

[thelwig14]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

I find it funny many of you claim to be without preference to either format yet claim this news to be "great" or "awesome."

It should all be one damn format already. We deal with this "choosing sides" crap apparently with sports games... and we have to put up with it when wanting to watch a movie at home as well.

It's stupid.

Agreed. If HD-DVD was declared winner today, I would be hyped. Two formats is painful and pointless.

[The Chef]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Agreed. If HD-DVD was declared winner today, I would be hyped. Two formats is painful and pointless.

I honestly feel the same way, best of both worlds for me, less wear and tear on my PS3 since I wouldnt be playing as many BR movies on it and would be using my HD stand alone player far more. In the end I really hope this format war dies very soon but I doubt that will happen.

[bigfnjoe96]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

BR SOS received by FOX/MGM:

Fox and MGM Unveil Blu-Ray Exclusive Worldwide Releases for 2007

29 Titles To Debut Packed With Soon-to-Be-Announced BD Industry 'Firsts' - PLUS
- Fox's First TV Title 'PRISON BREAK' FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
And LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD and Other Titles To Debut Day-and-Date on BD/DVD --
Blu-ray Out-Performing HD DVD 2-to-1 At Retail in 2007 --

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) today unveiled an aggressive global Blu-ray Disc release strategy including 29 new release and "must-have" catalog titles that runs through the end of the 2007 calendar year. Among the many highlights of the impressive worldwide slate are six day & date BD/DVD new theatrical releases from Fox including the $241 million box-office family favorite FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER and the $335 million box-office action powerhouse LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD, four day & date BD/DVD (U.S.only) new theatrical releases from MGM, 19 'must-have on BD' films from the two studios' libraries, Fox's first-ever TV release on BD - PRISON BREAK -- and Fox's intention to release at least one state-of-the-art title per month featuring numerous BD 'firsts.'

The only high-definition packaged media universally supported by the film, music, gaming and computer industries, BD is the #1 selling high-definition packaged media. In fact, on a worldwide basis, BD is averaging nearly 70% market-share per week of all high definition titles sold this year and, in the U.S., it is out-performing HD DVD by a margin of 115%. "Given that Blu-ray has consistently outsold HD DVD all year, and this is the case for any titles released by any studio in both formats, we believe that the time is right for us to accelerate our activities and help convert the nearly 60 million high definition households worldwide into Blu-ray households," noted Mike Dunn, President Worldwide, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

"By the end of this calendar year there will be expansive availability of technically vibrant releases featuring never-before-seen, advanced BD-J interactivity as well as a broad offering of playback devices at attractive prices that will prove to any doubting consumers once and for all that Blu-ray is the only way." "And as Blu-ray continues to grows stronger, it has become survival of the fittest which is most apparent in the retail landscape where our eager and growing global Blu-ray consumer base has caused a shift that is forcing the allocation of more space to the format that is selling the best. And, in many recent instances of note, top retailers in North America are choosing to promote the Blu-ray format exclusively in their stores," continued Dunn.

Among the BD industry 'firsts' from the Studios' upcoming global release slate are picture in picture capability, enhanced viewing and surround sound modes with the ability to mix and match picture and sound, direct access to in-movie features through one of the four colored buttons on the BD remote and the most technically vibrant BD-Java interactive multi-player challenge and trivia games to date. The Studios' slate also takes full advantage of BD-Live functionality this fourth quarter. Internet-connected consumers will enjoy unique, title specific "web-enabled" interactive features and games and "web-exclusive" downloadable content with the ability to connect and interact with other broadband BD users worldwide.

Cementing its leadership position within the industry - previous BD releases NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM and X-MEN THE LAST STAND rank in the Top 20 best-sellers - the vast majority of the Studios' upcoming global slate will be presented on 50 GB dual-layer discs with advanced BD-J interactivity and feature numerous Blu-ray exclusive high-definition bonus materials that further realizes BD's incredible potential. Consumers will enjoy the superior video and audio elements of AVC encoding and Lossless HD audio on many of the coming titles as well as enhanced and integrated menus, personal scene selections, search indexing, trivia and other title specific games and high-definition bonus materials.

Upcoming BD-J features exclusive to priority catalogue titles from Fox and MGM include an "Alien Scavenger Hunt" (INDEPENDENCE DAY) that challenges players to earn points by identifying the correct number of aliens in select scenes to unlock additional bonus features; a "Global Warming Trivia Track" (THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW) where users must correctly answer questions about global warming to keep the Earth's temperature from rising and being destroyed; and a historical and geographical pop-up map (MASTER & COMMANDER) that tracks the location of Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and his enemies.

Listed below are the upcoming Blu-ray Disc releases from Fox and MGM
excluding new theatrical day & date BD/DVD releases. EXACT TITLE CONFIGURATIONS TO FOLLOW IN THE COMING WEEKS.

TITLE N.A. RELEASE INTERNATIONAL RELEASE

MASTER & COMMANDER OCT. 2 OCT.
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW OCT. 2 NOV.
FROM HELL OCT. 9 OCT.
THE FLY (1986) OCT. 9 Q1 08
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS OCT. 9 NOV.
28 DAYS LATER OCT. 9 North America Only
ROBOCOP (MGM) OCT. 9 DEC.
AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979) (MGM) OCT. 9 North America Only
BATTLE OF BRITAIN (MGM) NOV. 6 Q1 08
A BRIDGE TOO FAR (MGM) NOV. 6 Q1 08
I, ROBOT NOV. 13 Q1 08
DIE HARD NOV. NOV.
DIE HARD 2: DIE HARDER NOV NOV.
DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE NOV. NOV.
RED DAWN (MGM) NOV. Q1 08
MR. AND MRS. SMITH DEC. 4 DEC.
INDEPENDENCE DAY DEC. 4 DEC.
CAST AWAY DEC. 4 North America Only
RONIN (MGM) DEC. 4 DEC.

Blu-ray Disc is a next generation optical disc format developed for high-definition video and high-capacity software applications. A single-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 25 gigabytes of data and a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc holds up to 50 gigabytes of data. This greater storage capacity enables the Blu-ray Disc to store over six times the amount of content than is possible with current DVDs, and is particularly well-suited for high definition feature films with extended levels of additional bonus and interactive material. Blu-ray also features the most advanced copy protection, player backward compatibility with the current DVD format, connectivity and advanced interactivity.

Fox takes advantage of the next generation format's high definition technology and advanced functionality to present its titles with the highest quality audiovisual elements. Showcasing picture quality with six times the resolution of DVD and theater quality "uncompressed" audio for the purest digital sound, the cutting-edge discs also feature enhanced and integrated menus, games, high-definition bonus materials and Java-encoding for more dynamic and sophisticated interactivity. The Studio's commitment to emerging technologies is dedicated to enhancing the consumer experience of its products and providing for backward compatibility with their existing home entertainment libraries while also aggressively protecting its intellectual property from piracy.

The Blu-ray companies fully embrace the Studio's steadfast commitment to the fight against piracy and the preservation of the integrity of its properties. Twentieth Century Fox is a member of the Board of Directors of the Blu- ray Disc Association.

A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC (TCFHE) is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray Disc (BD) as well as acquisitions and original productions. The company also releases all products around the globe for MGM Home Entertainment. Each year TCFHE introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets -- from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce - throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.

Source: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Contact: Fox Home Entertainment
North America
Steve Feldstein/Callie Jernigan
310.369.5369 / 310.369.8370
or
International
Marla Rothschild/Stephanie Wenborn
310.369.5827 / 44.77.986.28695

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

BR SOS received by FOX/MGM:

Some good movies in that bunch.

WOW! I just noticed RoboCop in that list..........finally it is being released on BluRay. It was supposed to be last year and for some reason it wasn't.

[RockyTop1]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Independence day...FINALLY

[CaptainZombie]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

This post on HighDefDigest pretty much sums it up.


Or this one....

i prefer HD DVD so of course this is great news

I have both formats, and I really prefer HD-DVD..............granted this is one step backwards from a unified format with the war ending, this only extends the war. I see more studios following suite sooner than later. HD-DVD is cheaper - movies are cheaper, the players are really dropping to the sub $200-$250 range if you look hard enough, and the HD-DVD technology at the moment is a bit ahead of the BluRay with Java for now until BluRay reveals their plan this fall.

List of some Paramount catalogue titles:

The Ten Commandments
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Once Upon a Time In the West
Rosemary's Baby
Love Story
The Godfather, Parts 1 and 2
Charlotte's Web
The Great Gatsby
Grease 1 & 2
Star Trek Films
Friday the 13th 1-8
Indiana Jones Films
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Pet Semetary
Ghost
Patriot Games
Forrest Gump
Braveheart
Clueless
Event Horizon
Titanic
The Truman Show
South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut
Vanilla Sky
School of Rock
Team America: World Police
Mean Girls
Spongebob Squarepants Movie
Elizabethtown
Airplane 1 & 2
Naked Gun Franchise
Footloose
Beverly Hills Cop Franchise
Crocodille Dundee Franchise

Dreamworks:

Gladiator
The Ring Franchise
Saving Private Ryan
Shrek Franchise
Flushed Away
Over the Hedge
Madagascar
Anchorman
Collateral
War of the Worlds

[PES3Paul]

Re: Official Blu-Ray & HD-DVD Thread

Digital Bits says major $$$$ exchanged hands between Microsoft/Toshiba and P'mount/Dreamworks:

Well... the high-definition format war just got more confusing for consumers, and you can thank the hubris of the folks at Microsoft for it. Their HD-DVD format (because I'm sorry, can anyone really say it still belongs to Toshiba at this point?) badly needed a shot in the arm going into the holiday season, and just got it thanks to suitcases full of cash from the Microsoft camp. You ready for this? Here it is:

Microsoft has paid DreamWorks and Paramount so much money that they've decided to join Universal in the HD-DVD exclusive camp. No kidding.

None of the participants in this deal are willing to openly disclose just how MUCH money was exchanged, but the L.A. Weekly is reporting (based in part on a confidential report from media analysis firm Pali Research) that it was in the neighborhood of $50 million in "promotional considerations" for Paramount and $100 million for DreamWorks. I'm sure they're also getting lots of free or discounted VC-1 compression and HDi authoring services, along with prime placement on Xbox Live too. Is anyone else just disgusted by Microsoft's naked, shameless financial influence in this thing? That Hollywood is a greedy place should be obvious to all by now, if it wasn't already. The HD-DVD format can't win any other way than for Microsoft to PAY studios off to stay exclusive. And then they have the balls to claim the Blu-ray Disc camp is involved in antitrust violations. Wow.

I'll tell you, this doesn't change our opinion of the eventual outcome of the format war too much. HD-DVD is never going to win this thing. The best it can hope for at this rate, even with the paid involvment of Paramount and DreamWorks, is to stay in the game. But let's face it... if money has to be involved for HD-DVD to stay in the game, that says a lot right there. And while Paramount and DreamWorks will no doubt earn lots of scorn from the rest of the industry, and they'll each make a couple extra movies with Microsoft's money while their stockholders giggle with glee, eventually business realities will dictate that they'll change their tune again. Unless Microsoft pays them more money still. One wonders if Universal just got another paycheck too.

By the way, if anyone doubts that Microsoft's real reason for involving itself in all this is to slow the adoption of next-generation discs by confusing consumers with a continuing format war so their own Xbox Live service can continue to grow and dominate the movie and TV downloading market, you'd better think twice. Because you can bet that while they'll continue to play at supporting HD-DVD, lots of those brand, spanking new high-def transfers will end up on Xbox Live too and for a lot cheaper than the discs.